My first Adventure trip to Rishikesh

Located on the banks of the river Ganga, Rishikesh is considered to be a place for religious people around India and people from Foreign Nations. It is mainly known for Yoga, Meditation and its sacred & historic temples. However, many of them don’t know that Rishikesh is not only a top religious place in India, but also one of the biggest Adventure Destination in India. It is also called as the ‘ Adventure Capital of India ‘.

My first Adventure trip to Rishikesh

I am currently based in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh(55 km from New Delhi). It was a weekend and I planned to visit Delhi to get a bit of change from the usual monotonous life. I reached my friend’s place on Friday evening and it all began there.

Plan & Execution

Me and my friend were sitting and discussing about some wonderful trips we had in past. We have visited places like Nainital, Dharamshala & Mcleodganj together. As both of us like visiting new places and Adventure Sports, something was going on the back of our mind. I asked my friend if we could plan a short trip somewhere around Delhi may be within 200 km as I had to reach back home till Sunday Evening.

Whenever I think of visiting a place, first thing that comes to my mind is a ‘Hill Station’. Recently, I heard about a small Hill Station called Dhanaulti where you can enjoy the Hills as well as a bit of Adventure Sports. It was already 6 p.m. , so after a short discussion we planned to start our journey for Dhanaulti immediately as we had to get back till Sunday Evening.

Road Route & Haults

We started out Journey from Sarita Vihar(Delhi) towards Raj Nagar, Ghaziabad Via Akshardham. We already started late and 6:30 p.m. is considered to be leaving time for Office for majority of the working people in Delhi. So, we were stuck in long Traffic Jams and it took us almost 2 hours to reach Ghaziabad.

We were travelling by my Wagon R Green which has a company fitted CNG. So, to make our journey a bit economic we refueled the car at a Gas Station near Raj Nagar, Ghaziabad at 8:30 p.m.

At about 10 p.m., we passed through the exteriors of Meerut City on the Delhi – Dehradun Highway. The road from Meerut to Muzaffarnagar is just awesome. So, we covered this 60 km run from Meerut to Muzaffarnagar without even applying brakes. We thought that we would get the same quality of road till Dehradun. But, just 10 km after crossing Muzaffarnagar the road condition was pathetic. This made us think that we would not be able to reach Dhanaulti even till 3 pm. So, we planned to take a hault at Roorkee which is at a distance of about 53 kms from Muzaffarnagar.

We saw the time and it was about 10:50 p.m and we were a bit hungry too. We stopped at at a roadside dhaba and took a parcel of Aaloo ka Paratha as we did not wanted to sit and waste our time at the dhaba. We moved towards Roorkee at 11:15 pm and reached Roorkee exactly at 1:00 am. Without wasting our time we booked a hotel near Roorkee Bus Stand.

Important information for CNG fitted Cars : Please note that if you are travelling by a CNG Car, you will not get any CNG stations in Uttarakhand. So, whether you are travelling to Dehradun, Mussoorie, Dhanaulti, Rishikesh, Haridwar or Roorkee you would not see any CNG Stations after Meerut City. Location of last CNG Station on Delhi – Dehradun Highway is Opposite to Subharti University, Meerut.

Plan Change at Roorkee

Before sleeping at out Hotel Room, we discussed our plan again. My friend told me that there is a popular place nearby called Rishikesh, which is a major Adventure Sports destination in North India. I always knew of Rishikesh as a religious destination so I was not fully convinced.

After a bit of research on Google I was fully convinced by my friend. Our plan changed from there on and we planned to move towards Rishikesh the very next Morning(Saturday) at about 12 p.m. Rishikesh is at a distance of about 51 km from Roorkee Via Haridwar. So now instead of Dhanaulti it was going to be an adventure trip to Rishikesh.

You might be thinking about the Road Route we took was not that good. But it is still best best choice available and why am I saying that ? For the Answer to this Question, You must read about the Best Road Route from Delhi to Rishikesh.

Adventure Booking

We reached Rishikesh at about 2 p.m. We saw a large number of Adventure Sports Offices there and we planned to make a stop at one of them, Himgiri Adentures. They offered almost all of the best Adventure Sports you could think of including Rock Climbing, Rappeling, Bungy Jumping, River Crossing, Giant Swing, River Rafting, Different types of Camping and a lot more. River Rafting is the most popular and quite inexpensive Adventure Sport activity in Rishikesh. Dont miss out on Rafting if you ever plan an adventure trip to Rishikesh.

We did not had much choice as we had only 1 single day to do whatever we can. So, we decided to opt for River Rafting at the pure and sacred Ganges and a Beach Camping near Shivneri. Our Package included Rafting & Camping with Snacks and Dinner(With the option of Veg/Non-Veg). It costed us around Rs.1200/head for this quite inexpensive and extraordinary package.

We were lucky that we reached Rishikesh on 29th of June, as Rafting is closed at Rishikesh in the Months of July and August due to Monsoon.

Rafting Experience

Himgiri Travels asked us to reach one of their offices in half an hour where we would be taken for Rafting. At about 3:00 p.m., We reached the spot from where we had to start our Rafting. We went on the weekend and its really difficult to find a Parking Place on Weekends. So, it is advisable to reach Rishikesh as early as possible so that there are no hassles finding a safe parking place for your vehicle.

We had to share our raft with a group of college going students. We were all given a 5 minute training about rafting like we need to sit on the edge of the raft, how should we hold the paddle, when to take a pause etc. Everyone heard the trainer very carefully, but I knew that no one will be able to follow any of the rules 🙂

We were also given a dry bag where we could keep our belongings like Mobile Phones, Wallets etc. Unfortunately, we did not know about the dry bag, so we left our Mobile Phones and Wallet in the car.

Finally, the raft was pushed in the rapid flow of Ganges. We all started moving our paddle swiftly and the raft also moved with the flow. After a minute or so, we saw a very high tide and our raft went down and moved up again. We all shouted with extreme joy ! It was fun also to compete with other people rafting around us. The nature of water changed every minute in the river. You will find calm water somewhere and suddenly you might see high tide and rapid flow of water. But I tell you, the most enjoyable moment of Rafting is in these tides.

Near Laxman Jhula, we got to see some calm water again. Where the trainer told us that we could get down into the river holding the ropes attached to the raft. Though all had life jackets on their chest, no one really dared to get into the River. A boy from the group jumped into the water first and slowly everyone started jumping one by one. Finally, Me and my friend also jumped into the Water. The water was really cold. They were all taking photographs of each other. As we did not carry our Mobile Phones we asked them to click our pics and send them back to us on Watsapp.

This experience of about 12 km of Rafting was Superb ! I really cannot describe it in words. You should definitely try it whenever you plan an adventure trip to Rishikesh.

Camping Experience

It was already 5:30 pm and we headed towards Himgiri Adventure Camp. It was located some 8-10 km ahead of Rishikesh and we reached the camp till 6 pm. We had to park our vehicle on the side of the road and get down to the camp near the river. I clicked some pictures of the situation to give you a clear idea. Though leaving our vehicle on the road side just like that made feel it was unsafe. But we didn’t had any choice because we could not take the car down the hill with us for Beach Camping.

We managed to get down 5 to 7 minutes and found this Amazing Camp. This camp was located just besides the river Ganga in a fresh and lovely atmosphere. It had a Volleyball & a Badminton Court and some 40-50 camps. The prime attraction of this place was the beach side seating arrangement. It was really an awesome place to be.

The place did not had electricity nor it had any Mobile Towers, So you would not get any signals. If you have an Airtel Sim, you might be lucky to get some signals sometime. We were given lanterns for a bit of lighting. So, for once you will feel quite disconnected from the external world. But me and my friend found it quite interesting stay. There are some other Camps which also have Electricity, DJ Music and other things for Entertainment. However, our Camp was a bit peaceful.

As soon as we arrived we were allotted a camp. We kept our luggage in the Camp and walked for a short survey of the place. The kitchen guys told us

that we would be getting our snacks in some time. In 10 minutes, snacks were served to us which included Pakodas, Papads & Chillie Paneer. The quantity of the snacks was so much that it could even serve 4 people. Anyhow, we managed to finish half of the snacks and a kitchen boy asked us whether we would like to have veg or non-veg for dinner. We ordered for some Non-Veg.

After having half of the snacks we got down near the river to see the Beach Side seating arrangement. It was just out of the World feeling to be there. The Camp guys set a Bonfire at this place for us which made the place more beautiful. We sat at that place for 3-4 hours and the cool breeze and lovely sound of the water made us feel on top of the World.

At 12 p.m we went to sleep in our Camp as we had to wake up earning Morning to get back to life. It was a very short and unplanned but lovely trip to remember for years to come.

This was it ! Our Adventure Trip to Rishikesh was full of fun and quite inexpensive as well 🙂

Suggestions

1. Start your Journey as early in the day as possible so that you have the Complete day with you. Rishikesh is about 6-7 hour Journey from Delhi with normal Traffic.

2. Last Refueling Station for CNG Vehicles on Delhi-Dehradun Highway is at Meerut.

3. Keep your Mobile Phones and Wallet with you while going for Rafting. These items can be kept safely in the Raft in a Dry Bag.

4. Be prepared that you would not be getting any Mobile Signals while you are in a Camp. So if you want to make any calls, you should make it up the Hill or in the City.

5. If you are going to Rishikesh specially for rafting, don’t go there in the month of July or August as Rafting is closed for these 2 months.

Hope you liked to read about my Adventure Trip to Rishikesh. If you have any feedback, questions or want to share your experience, you can leave your comments below.

About Anirudh Singh

Anirudh Singh is a passionate Blogger and the man behind Amazing India Blog . He writes about wide range of topics but loves to write Travel Related Articles . He is the most viewed writer on Quora in Indian Passports, Aadhaar Number (UIDAI), PAN Card, Birth Certificates & Voter Identification Laws. Connect with him on Facebook.

10 comments

Hey Anirudh!! Nice experience you have had shared here…Want to have a taste of the same. Need your help in guiding how to get from Delhi to Hardwar and then Rishikesh.I stay in Bangalore. Planning to trip on 1st-4th OCt 2016. Day one-1st OCt to reach Delhi(at say 10 am) and then directly depart for Haridwar. Then reaach there and complete sight seeing and night stay at HAridwar. 2nd morning/afternoon, start for Rishikesh (here is where your expertise is needed much for the base camp), reach and stay at hotel/camp,complete adventure sports, sightseeing, night stay and then 3rd spen after noon at Rishikesh and then return back to Delhi.

Want your help in booking the Himgiri base camp and river rafting schedules.Especially the cut from the outer world experience and sitting next to River ganges….

Lets start from 2nd morning/afternoon when you want to visit Rishikesh. Rishikesh is about 20-25 kms ahead of Haridwar. I would suggest you to start for Rishikesh at around 12 noon. First of all you can go for rafting and other adventure sports in Rishikesh. Once you are done with it, you can book a camp in Rishikesh and move ahead for the camp in the evening. And don’t go for a hotel ! You can stay at a hotel anywhere, but while you are Rishikesh staying at a camp is a must do for all ! ( Read : Top 10 Adventure Sports in Rishikesh )

When you enter Rishikesh, you will find a lot of offices for Adventure Sports booking and for camping. I would say there are much better camps in Rishikesh than Himgiri. Try to book a Beach Camp rather than a Jungle Camp or any other type. Beach Camps are very close to the Ganges and give a wonderful feeling. Although Jungle Camps are also good, but I like the Beach Camp more. ( Read : My Jungle Camping Experience at Rishikesh ).

If you are planning to Reach Rishikesh on a Weekend, it is good to book your Camp on the day you reach Haridwar (i.e., one day before camping). I am telling you this because usually people from Delhi and surrounding places come to Rishikesh on weekends and all the good camps are gone first.

NOTE : Do remember that you are not going to get any Signals on your Mobile when you go for camping. If you are lucky enough, you might get some signals.

River rafting is a fun experience with family and friends and Rishikesh is one of the most suitable place for river rafting and other adventures like camping and bungee jumping . The holiday is fun and affordable to all in all budgets.